We Are New

How to Mother a New Mother

nerdisaverb — Mon, 14 May 2012 17:20:20 -0500

File this under things I wish I would have done.

"Mothering an infant is physical. It’s primarily, almost exclusively, an effort of the body."

nerdisaverb — Sat, 12 May 2012 13:12:17 -0500

““Mothering an infant is physical. It’s primarily, almost exclusively, an effort of the body.””

- “Bodily”, from my main blog, We Are New

Breastfeeding, Nearly 7 Months In

nerdisaverb — Sat, 05 May 2012 16:50:45 -0500

Breastfeeding, Nearly 7 Months In:

From my main blog - how I’ve survived as a working breastfeeding mama for 7 months (and counting).

Insights From the Youngest Minds

nerdisaverb — Tue, 01 May 2012 08:54:43 -0500

Insights From the Youngest Minds:

Elizabeth S. Spelke studies infants and toddlers to understand how the brain works by determining what, if anything, humans are born knowing.

***

Infant brain development is fascinating!

Am I Overreacting?

nerdisaverb — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 10:22:49 -0500

My husband and I took our daughter to a local “green babies” expo. According to the advertisement, it is “An Earth-friendly family festival creating awareness about cloth-diapering and green parenting.” The event was targeted toward parents of small children and expectant parents, as it was one of the Great Cloth Diaper Change locations.

When we arrived at the event, every family was given a door bag…sponsored by Enfamil. In each bag, was a huge sample of newborn formula, as well as a secondary sample hidden in another bag. The bags were given away by Enfamil reps. The rep pointed out the formula to me and encouraged me to take it for myself (even though my 16 pound, six-month old baby is no newborn) or to give it to a friend. I handed back the huge formula sample and politely said that I didn’t need it. Later, I opened the bag and founded the hidden secondary sample.

It’s a day later and I am still stewing about this damn formula giveaway.

I know that many people choose to or need to use formula and that is a valid choice for their families and situations. But I hate how many places give away formula to new and expectant moms, especially places that you don’t expect - like green parenting fairs, my own gynecologist’s office, and even in my mail. To me, it’s incredibly wasteful. I have a huge bag of formula that I will never use, which I plan to turn in to a food shelf. But it’s also a lot of strong-arming on the part of the formula companies. I’ve never been marketed to this aggressively for one food product.

Making Informed Decisions

nerdisaverb — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 07:09:40 -0500

Making Informed Decisions :

I think of myself as very lucky for having a complication-free pregnancy and an easy, natural birth. But I also know that my outcome was based on a lot of my own research and finding a team who would help me achieve my goals. This post really illustrates the importance of self-advocacy in our health care, especially in pregnancy and birth.

Six Months

nerdisaverb — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 06:52:35 -0500

Six Months:

My six month letter to my daughter, from the main blog.

In other news, I’ve kept a baby alive and healthy for six months. How did that happen?

"Of the doula-supported families, 93% attempted breastfeeding and 70% were still exclusively..."

nerdisaverb — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 07:35:22 -0500

“Of the doula-supported families, 93% attempted breastfeeding and 70% were still exclusively breastfeeding after six weeks. The figures are significantly higher than the latest national figures from the Department of Health, which show only 74.1% of new mums attempt breastfeeding, and just 47 per cent are still exclusively breastfeeding at six weeks.”

- [From a U.K. Survey]

Far from Faddish: Doula Survey Shows Dramatic Decrease in Interventions

My doula was *so* worth the expense. Doulas Rock!

Things I Learned While Traveling with an Infant

nerdisaverb — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 18:36:15 -0500

Things I Learned While Traveling with an Infant:

Bags of chips can be a toy, for one.

"I just flew in from Virginia, and boy is my vagina tired! From the involuntary ultrasound wanding —..."

nerdisaverb — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 17:01:36 -0500

“I just flew in from Virginia, and boy is my vagina tired! From the involuntary ultrasound wanding — AM I RIGHT, LADIES? (Beat.) And by the way, why do they call it a ‘wand’? Where are we — Hogwarts? The only thing magically disappearing was my dignity and privacy, BOOM!!!

…What’s the difference between a fertilized egg; a corporation; and a woman? (Beat.) One of them isn’t considered a person in Oklahoma! BOOM!!!”

- KRISTEN SCHAAL, on The Daily Show (via inothernews)

10 Books to Read to Your Daughter

nerdisaverb — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 12:00:05 -0500

10 Books to Read to Your Daughter:

Good list, but I’m trying to think of what she may have missed…

Alice in Wonderland? Wizard of Oz? Weetize Bat? These are all on my unofficial, unwritten list.

Beautiful - I wish we would have done something like this when I...

nerdisaverb — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 12:00:05 -0500

Beautiful - I wish we would have done something like this when I was pregnant. Oh well.

I aspire to having a daughter that is this aware of marketing.

nerdisaverb — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 08:19:00 -0500

I aspire to having a daughter that is this aware of marketing.

Art & Motherhood - 3 part interview

nerdisaverb — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 07:20:01 -0600

A three part interview with three artist mothers, held by the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis. I aspire to read these later.

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Five Months

nerdisaverb — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 14:39:54 -0600

Five Months:

My five-month letter to my daughter, from the main blog.

"Multiple studies have shown that even children who undergo general anesthesia to treat dental decay..."

nerdisaverb — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 07:59:20 -0600

“Multiple studies have shown that even children who undergo general anesthesia to treat dental decay end up with cavities again. Janine Costantini, the ambulatory practice director at Children’s Hospital Colorado, said the staff treated a 3-year-old who was making his second visit to the operating room for dental work. The boy arrived with a bottle of Coca-Cola.”

- From - Preschoolers in Surgery for a Mouthful of Cavities at NY Times

Holy. Crap.

20 Things That Changed When I Became a Mother

nerdisaverb — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 18:54:02 -0600

20 Things That Changed When I Became a Mother:

From the main blog, written by me.

the-nip-project: We want causes we fight for to be open and...

nerdisaverb — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 19:52:22 -0600

the-nip-project:

We want causes we fight for to be open and widely known - so why would we want to cover up such an important key element to the fight of many diseases?

How to Raise a Powerful Girl

nerdisaverb — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 08:55:00 -0600

How to Raise a Powerful Girl:

From PBS, of all places.

Heart

nerdisaverb — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 12:02:06 -0600

Heart:

From the main blog, a beautiful post written by Laurel.